Comprehensive Analysis of the Poverty Situation in the Philippines: Basis for a Sustainable Local Poverty Reduction Program Model

Abstract

Poverty is a social concern dealt by various national, international organizations, and Local Government Units in search of workable solutions. Yet, it remains to be an unsolved issue; hence, a comprehensive analysis of the poverty situation in the Central Philippines was conducted. The study was conducted in the MIMAROPA Region which is a cluster of island provinces in Southern Tagalog that consistently belongs to the club of 40 poorest provinces in the Philippines. Ten poor municipalities, two from each province, were studied in order to analyze the poverty situation in the region. Combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was employed and key informant interviews and Focus Group Discussions were used in gathering data that were subsequently complemented with various service statistics of the five provinces. Results show that the poor municipalities in these provinces were facing almost common issues that directly affect the poverty situation in the region. Causes and immediate effects were interrelated. The unresolved poverty situation in the locality may be attributed to the weak political will of the LGU in implementing a sustainable poverty reduction program, piecemeal programs of various sectors, and none compliance with the public consultation required to package the SLPRP. Likewise, the top down approach of management was not advantageous. Thus, a convergence web approach was proposed in developing a Sustainable Local Poverty Reduction Program model to address the identified problems. The project gave birth to the In Vitro- In Vivo Development frameworks which is the novelty of the study.